Cable holder with guide slots



Sept; 1952 E. E. HAUSSLER 2,608,891

CABLE HOLDER WITH GUIDE SLOTS Filed Jan. 21, 1949 JNVENTOR. 152N537" E. M40884 :1;

. BY W-WMAZW *Wm Patented Sept. 2, 1952 CABLE HOLDER WITH GUIDE SLOTS Ernest E. .Haussler, Clifton, N. J. Elsie K..Haussler administratrix of deceased said :Ernest E. Hau'ssler,

Application January 21, icia'ser a lNo. 71,80: 1

This invention relates 'to tools which are equipped to be used for'variousbut related purposes, such as compound "tools, and particularly to an electricians combined hand vise, wire cutter and stripper and pliers.

The main objector my invention is to provide means in a single tool for performing a group of related functions or-operations in connection with the cutting of armored cable and cutting the conductors thereof.

Another object is .to have a combined "pliertype tool of the indicated character which includes means either vfor facilitating or actually performing any one of a plurality of operations necessary in cutting an armored cable and preparing the conductors thereof for connection with terminals on electrical apparatus.

A further object .is to providesuch aicombined tool with only one pair of cooperating handles, but in addition to its other facilities, with special grippin means for, holding the armored ca-ble fixed while :sawing it. and having guide and clearance portions for entry of a saw blade in selected positions for cutting the armor of the cable at will.

It is also an object .to have a combined tool for electrical workers which includes two tool elements pivotally connected together by a pivot having wide heads to insure accurate fit of the "parts, durable association thereof and eliminationof wobbling of the parts.

Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear iniurther detail as the specification proceeds.

In order-to ,facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereofythe invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a top plan viewof an electrlcians compound tool made according to the invention :and embodying the samein a practical form;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same electricians compound tool, as seen from below in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is another elevation of the tool, as seen from the opposite side than that shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevation, as seen from the right in Figure 2.

In the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

Electricians frequently find it necessary to cut armored cables and make connections with conductors of the same, this first necessitating the 1 Claim. (Cl. 81-51) cutting and/or breaking of the armor sheath of the cable, 'thencutting the conductors after removing cut portions of armor, andstrippin the insulation from th conductors to expose the metal wires of the latter. For this work, several tools are usually employed and even considered necessary, first a vise to-hold the cable while being sawed or cut, and then pliers and cutters for removing the out armor and cutting and stripping the conductors, several tools being thus used in succession, and'all too often the vise is not portable and some makeshift is employed instead.

Upon considering this problem, it has-occurred to me that facilities could well be combined in a manually-operated tool for performing the various operations, or 'at least cooperate therewith when requiredto effect the cutting of an armored cable and exposing the conductors thereof preparatory to connecting the-latter to electrical devices and apparatus. As aresult, Iliave succeeded in producing abombined tool as outlined which will now be more -fully described.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to the drawing, the tool, generally indicated at 5, primarily includes a pair of handles 6 and. 1 having corresponding opposite cut-away portions 8 and 9 providing an in termediate I cleavage orvmeeting plane along which the two opposed intermediate tool portions l0 and 'l I meet and through which latterpor tions a pivot bolt 12 -extends.-' The la'tterfha's a very large fiat headsl3'upon oneend and upon the other end lSI'SOIGWGd a correspondingly large fiat nut l4; Rearwardly of the fiat cut-cut por tion 8 handle 6 is provided withanupwardlyextending lug f5 formin a finger stop to prevent the fingers from slipping inwardly into the pivoted portions of the tool'and suffering injury, the handle 6 being in addition knurled, as indi cated at 16, and preferably the other handle 7 is similarly knurled, and at the free end thereof terminates in :a screw driver'lbit 11; This latter feature servesv for unscrewing terminal screws and then tightening them when wires have been connected thereto. Above the pivot bolt l2 extend a pair of opposed jaws I8, I9 which below the upper ends thereof have the arcuate clearance portions 20,12l, these jaws being integral with the tool portions Ill and II, respectively, and at 22 having a slight clearance between them even in closed position, for a purpose which will presently be described. Thus far described, the tool virtually forms a pair of angle pliers in which the jaws l8 and i9 may be opened or closed by 3 manipulating handles 6 and I about pivot bolt l2.

Forwardly of the pivot bolt, the two fiat tool portions and H which may be more or less conventional in form, are widened to form a pair of wide jaws 23, 24 which at their innermost portions are formed with mutually-meeting cutting edges 25, 26 toward one end of which they are; formed with opposite and corresponding notches2i, 28,29 and 3 0'ad'apted to receive two sizes of wire, for example, members l4 and 16, for stripping insulation therefrom, while the remaining portions of the cutters 25 and 26 are virtually straight and are adapted to meet in actual contact even when the upper jaws IE and I9 have a clearance 22 therebetween to ensure the meeting of the cutting edges mentioned.

In addition, upon both jaws 23 and 24 are formed spaced pairs of internally-arcuate grip ping jaw members 3|, 32 on jaw 23 and 33 and 34 on jaw 24, being disposed with the intermediate clearance spaces-3B and 31 between the pairs. Within the cutters 25 and '25 isa clearance portion 38 to facilitate the useof the tool as a plier and a cutter as far as described independently of the presence of the forwardlyprojecting and spaced'pairs of jaw members 3|, 32, 33, 34 already alluded to. Preferably, the inner arcuate portions 39 and 40 of jaw members 31 and 32 on the one hand and members 33 and 34 on the other hand are fluted or serrated to provide an effective rip on the armor of a cable when the same is to beheld for sawing portions thereof. In contrast, the outer opposed ends 4|, 42, 43, 44 of the jaw members. 3! to 34 are spaced a distance apart to provide ample clearance for insertion of an armored cable when the tool is partly opened and to allow the jaw members to be gripped upon the cable with afirm hold preventing any slipping thereof when the cable is being cut or sawed.

For the purpose of facilitating the sawing operation, the jaw members are individually formed with oblique guide slots 45, 46, 41 and 48 arranged in such fashion that slots 45 and 48 are in line and slots 46 and 4! mutually arranged in line, the lines of-these slots crossing each-other substantially centrally of the length of the cutting edges' 25 and 26 and preferably being disposed at 37 -degree angles with the mentioned cutting edges. Naturallyjzmy other angle selected might also be used, but the'angles mentioned are substantially at right angles to the pitch of theformed metal'strips that constitute the armor on the armored. cable. The arrangement is such that when an armored cable is gripped between the jaw members, a hack saw may be inserted in slots 45 and 4B, or in slots 46 and 41, while the tool 5 is firmly held until the sheath has been sawed through in at least two spaced positions. Thereafter, the tool is used by applying the jaws l8 and 19 forming the plier portion to free the cable from the sawed portions of the sheath and thereafter the cutters 25 and 26 will serve to cut through the insulation and the wires of the conductors of the cable. Subsequently, each conductor individually is freed of its insulation by applying either the apertured portions 21, 28 or 29 and 30 thereto according to the size of the conductor wire and the insulation stripped from the conductor by pulling the tool toward the cut end of each conductor.

Manifestly, "variations maybe resorted to and parts and features maybe modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claim.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

A supporting tool for severing the armor from an armored cable comprising a pair of handles i arran ed in face to face relation and pivotally connected together adjacent one end thereof for movement toward and away from each other, a first jaw arranged transversely of one of said handles adjacent said one end thereof and having one end fixedly secured to the latter, afirst pair of spaced jaw members arranged longitudinally of said first jaw adjacent the other end thereof and each having one end integral with said first jaw, a second jaw arranged transversely of the other of said handles adjacent said one end thereofand having one end fixedly secured tothe latter, a se'condpair of spaced jaw members arranged longitudinally of said secondjaw adjacent the other end thereof and each having one end integral with said second jaw, each of the jaw members. ofsaid first pair being in spaced facing'relation with respect to each of the jaw members of said second pair, there being a slot extendin longitudinally through the other end of each of said jaw members and terminating at a point spaced from said one end of the associated jaw member, the slots in each pair of jaw members beingi at an angle with respect to each other; the slot of each jaw member being in alignment with the slot of the non-facing jaw member of the other pair and formin with the latter a guideway for a cutting blade.

' ERNEST E. HAUSSLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,399,655 Shapiro Dec. 6, 1921 1,406,531 Brown Feb. 14, 1922 1,471,593 Davis Oct. 23,1923 1,775,335 F .Wiggins Sept. 9, 1930 1,781,419. Wallace Nov. 11, 1930 2,003,619 Williamson June 4, 1935 2,031,470 Eek et al Feb. 18, 1936 2,460,001 Frank Jan.25, 1949 2,489,369 Foulke Nov. 29, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 1 Country Date 51,497 Switzerland Jan. 10, 1911 

